Spoilers: This starts right after the season finale ends.

Disclaimer: Not mine, never will be. Let's move on.

Ways To Say I Love You

by A Little G and A

Shane moved toward him, stopping just outside of arm's reach. The concern in her expression was evident. "Oliver?"

Once again, the appropriate response failed him. Even now, with the letter safely beyond the reach of his cowardice, Oliver still could not find the words necessary to tell Shane what he had written. Still, she waited patiently, far more so than he could ever hope to deserve.

It must be exhausting, always having to find ways to say 'I love you' without actually saying the words.

He must have made her so tired, these last few months.

Oliver cleared his throat. "If I ever disappoint you, Miss—" He caught himself. He had not called her Miss McInerney in his head for so very long. "Shane. If I ever disappoint you, or if you feel as though I have failed you in some manner, you must tell me so that I have the opportunity to repair the error." He paused, hunting for the words he needed. "I can be stubborn. But I would infinitely prefer to lose an argument than I would be to ... to lose ..."

His voice failed him, but from the way Shane's eyes had widened it seemed as though he had sufficiently communicated at least a portion of what he had been trying to say. "Oliver, I ..." She pressed her lips together, as if holding back emotion. "You could never disappoint me."

Self-recrimination cut as deeply as it had that first afternoon. "That's kind of you, but we both know how untrue that is." He looked away. "I disappointed you a great deal when I told you that we were not going to dance at the showcase."

There was only silence. "I ..." The rest of the sentence trailed away. "Yes." Shain admitted finally, voice soft enough that he almost couldn't hear it above the rain. The pain in it, however, was clear. "But I understood."

Oliver lifted his head, meeting her eyes. "You should not have had to." His hand half lifted, wanting to reach out. But after the way he'd handled all this, he hadn't yet earned that right. "I ... avoided a question you asked me earlier. That day, that dance ..." He let out a long breath. "That was what I was afraid of."

Shane blinked, the confusion on her face making it clear that she hadn't understood him. "The showcase?"

"No." He smiled, just a little, his voice thick with all the emotion he had tried so hard to hold back. "The fact that I had found someone I wanted to dance with so *very* much."

He heard her inhalation of breath, and in the half-light from the windows he could see the shimmer of tears in her eyes. Then she smiled, so brilliant and beautiful it seemed as though a beam of sunlight had suddenly appeared in the middle of the rainstorm.

Slowly, she walked toward him, close enough that they were both under the shelter of her umbrella. She held it out, just a little, and Oliver wrapped his own hand around the handle. Then she let it go, lifting her hands to cradle his face.

Oliver's throat tightened, loving her so much he was astonished he'd been able to contain it inside him so long.

Her smile widened, as if she could see it in his eyes. "If you disappoint me again, Oliver O'Toole, I promise that I will yell at you as you will no doubt very much deserve." She blinked, her tears spilling over, and he lifted his free hand to wipe them away as she continued. "And I also promise you I will stay right by your side, no matter what happens, until you see sense."

There were no words to sufficiently encompass the gift she was giving him, but there were others that belonged to her. "I love you," he whispered, pouring everything he felt into the simple sentence.

He could feel her tremble. "I love you, too."

The kiss was gentle, the feeling of butterflies inside him and the promise of spring on the horizon. Hope, made even sweeter with the joy of finding it again.

When they broke apart, she looked up at him as if checking for any lingering doubts in his eyes. He only pulled her closer, wrapping his free arm around her tightly as he pressed his lips against her hair. "I told her I wanted a divorce," he murmured.

She snuggled in closer, despite the fact that he was soaking wet. "I think I figured that part out already."

He chuckled, happier than he could ever remember being. "I thought you might have."

000

I ... er ... I kind of also have an original novel and short story. won't let me post the link, but if you look up "Jenniffer Wardell - books" on Google you'll find them both.